Rust is one of the most common causes of damage to a garage door. This is hardly surprising, since garage doors are exposed to the elements 24 hours a day, making them susceptible to weather-based corrosion. While most garage doors are treated with water-resistant paints or other anti-corrosion finishes, these don’t last forever.
Should rust take hold of your garage door, it’s important to remove it as soon as possible before it spreads. In this article, we will show you how to remove rust from a garage door quickly and easily.
Wash the door and confirm you have a rust problem
Not every red or brown stain on a metal garage door is going to be rust. It could be anything from red dust or road grit to certain types of pollen that produce a similar (but harmless) effect. The easiest way to find out is to clean the garage door completely with a little washing up liquid, hot water, and a cloth. If it’s dirt, dust, or pollen, it should wipe away with little effort. If it’s rust, then it won’t. An added bonus is that you will give yourself a clean area of the garage door on which to work.
Clean away the rust
Once you’re sure it’s a rust issue, you need to get rid of the rust itself. If you’ve caught it early, you can do this with white vinegar applied with a damp cloth, which will dissolve any surface rust. If the rust is more pronounced, you can mix baking soda and water into a paste and spread it over the affected area. Leave it for 30 minutes and rinse it with clean water. If there is still rust on the surface, you will need to scrub it away with a pad of steel wool. It’s important that all rust be removed before repairing the door; otherwise, it will continue to corrode even if you complete the rest of the steps.
Fill any holes
If your garage door has rusted through, leaving a hole in the metal, patch it with metal filler from your local DIY shop. Follow the instructions on the filler’s packaging and give it time to set properly before proceeding to the next step.
Sand the affected area
With the metal filler suitably dried and set, you need to sand the affected area down so that it is level with the rest of the door. We recommend doing this by hand, rather than with a power sander, using fine-grit sandpaper. Any filler dust can be easily removed using a hand brush.
Paint the garage door
If you’ve followed the steps above, you’ll have a noticeable repair patch on your garage door. To disguise it, you’ll need to paint over it using a water-resistant paint. If you can match the existing colour of your door, then you can repaint the repair with a simple paintbrush. If not, you have to choose between having an ill-matched painted section of door or repainting the entire thing. If you choose the second option, you can speed up the process by using specialised spray paints.
Removing rust from a garage door: final thoughts
If the rust damage to your garage door is extensive, it may be preferable to have the repair work performed by trained professionals. Here at PBH Garage Doors, we provide a first-rate garage door repair service for customers across our home county of Kent. We also offer a full garage door replacement service if you would rather have a new garage door than repair your existing one.
To find out what we can do for you, give the team a call on 01322 252 701 or 07958 326270, or send us an email to info@pbhgaragedoors.co.uk. We will be able to walk you through your various repair and replacement options and also provide you with a free, no-obligation quote for our services.
